Realme GT 2 evaluate: Flagship Filler

Final 12 months I known as the Realme GT “the brand new flagship killer” and in true smartphone business trend, a 12 months on there is a follow-up. However does the GT 2 have the identical killer intuition?

It’s not fairly the identical state of affairs in 2022, partly as a result of there’s a GT 2 Professional mannequin as properly. Whereas that’s arguably extra of a flagship (it prices £699), the GT 2 get a lot of the identical {hardware} and options for £150 much less.

It doesn’t have the LTPO 2.Zero show with its variable refresh charge all the way down to 1Hz, and makes use of the older Snapdragon 888 relatively than the Professional’s newer Gen 1 chip, however for many individuals, neither of this stuff matter.

In reality, the GT 2 is a extra well-rounded, higher worth for cash possibility in some ways. Nevertheless, if you happen to already personal a Realme GT, this new mannequin is not going to tempt you to improve.

Design & Construct

‘Paper-like’ biopolymer rear
Greater and heavier than earlier than
Nonetheless not waterproof

By way of design, it’s practically unattainable to inform the 2 new telephones aside. The GT 2 and GT 2 Professional share nearly similar dimensions and styling, so this isn’t a typical case of the Professional mannequin being bigger.

Maybe extra importantly, the vegan leather-based possibility from final 12 months’s Realme GT 5G with its hanging yellow color is gone in favour of a ‘paper’ design. Realme has as soon as once more partnered with Japanese designer Naoto Fukusawa, who labored on the GT Grasp Version, to create a biopolymer – yep, that is one other one so as to add to telephone vocabulary – that resembles paper.

The agency says over 12 months of R&D and over 1000 hours of color testing have gone into it with the intention of making one thing environmentally pleasant, aesthetically pleasing and sturdy.

Whereas I’m unsure the result’s notably paper-like, it’s good to see Realme doing one thing various once more and I just like the tiny herringbone sample. It feels good, gives grip and retains fingerprints at bay, even when the again does really feel fairly plastic on the identical time.

This end is obtainable in Paper White or Paper Inexperienced however if you wish to maintain it conventional, there’s additionally a Metal Black possibility which has a plain glass end.

A silver plastic body is much better at hiding what’s it’s made from. It actually seems and looks like metallic when oddly, my colleague Toddy discovered the other with the GT 2 Professional. A extra apparent distinction between the 2 is that the Professional has a a lot better screen-to-body ratio and subsequently seems extra premium.

Regardless, the GT 2 is strong and general, it feels good within the hand, however there are smaller and lighter telephones round if you happen to’re searching for one thing extra compact. The Xiaomi 12 is a latest instance – if you happen to can stretch to a bit more cash – in addition to the OnePlus Nord 2 which is actually similar in measurement to the unique GT.

It’s a disgrace to not see a headphone jack contemplating there’s area for one and Realme sadly hadn’t added any sort of IP dust- and waterproof ranking.

Display screen & Audio system

6.62in AMOLED
Full HD+
120Hz

The principle motive the GT 2 is greater than its predecessor is the bigger 6.62in (vs 6.43in) show, which means it’s going to enchantment extra to these searching for a big-screen telephone. It won’t sound like a lot of a distinction, however the unique GT feels extra petite.

In any other case, specs are largely nonetheless the identical with an AMOLED panel, Full HD+ decision, HDR10+ assist and a refresh charge of 120Hz.

In case you are contemplating the GT 2 Professional, as talked about above, it has LPTO 2.Zero expertise which means the refresh charge can dynamically change all the way in which from 120- all the way down to 1Hz relying on what you’re doing to save lots of energy.

It additionally has a better decision and a barely increased quoted peak brightness however not sufficient on the latter to matter. I measured peak brightness with automated adjustment switched off at a good 507 nits utilizing a Spyder X.

For most individuals although, the GT 2’s show will likely be lots ok. It’s vibrant, responsive and I actually don’t have any complaints about it. In case you don’t just like the default profile, you possibly can all the time go and alter it within the settings menu the place you’ll additionally discover issues like a watch consolation mode, picture sharpener and extra.

Again to the refresh charge and you’ll choose 120Hz beneath ‘excessive’ or the telephone can auto-select between 60- and 120Hz based mostly on what app you’re utilizing.

The fingerprint scanner is as soon as once more embedded within the show and labored very properly for me, hardly ever requiring a couple of try and log in. You may as well use it to measure your coronary heart charge if you want.

By way of audio, there are stereo audio system and whereas there’s loads of quantity on provide, the sound high quality isn’t something particular. It’s not unhealthy however the frequency response is slim resulting in a considerably restricted sound high quality.

Specs & Efficiency

Nonetheless Snapdragon 888
As much as 12GB RAM
As much as 256GB storage

It’s a case of all quiet on the Western Entrance in relation to the core specs as a result of that bullet level record above isn’t any completely different to the unique GT.

That’s to not say the GT 2 doesn’t provide good specs, that’s a strong providing however anybody utilizing final 12 months’s GT could also be upset on the lack of upgrades right here. With LPDDR5 and UFS3.1 requirements reminiscence and storage requirements already in place Realme didn’t actually have wherever to go.

The newer Snapdragon Eight Gen 1 SoC has been saved for the GT 2 Professional, as a substitute, however the 888 nonetheless has quite a bit to present together with built-in 5G and loads of uncooked efficiency. It simply relies upon how fussed you’re about having the latest chipset.

There’s both 8- or 12GB of RAM paired with 128- or 256GB with three mixtures of these capacities. Notice that the entry-level mannequin is just out there in Metal Black within the UK, although.

I’ve examined the top-spec mannequin and had no qualms with efficiency. In reality, the GT 2 scored higher than the Professional mannequin in uncooked CPU assessments like Geekbench 5.

It additionally capped at 60fps regardless of being set to 120Hz and also you’ll discover this with video games, too, so these searching for most fps ought to look elsewhere – the Nubia Crimson Magic 7 is an analogous worth – however 60fps remains to be completely easy for many video games.

There’s a GT mode you possibly can change on in fast settings for additional efficiency, however it doesn’t appear to enhance any benchmark outcomes. In reality, I noticed the Geekbench 5 rating go down.

The underside line is that this telephone is extremely succesful and may ship easy operation for years. You additionally get respectable wi-fi specs together with NFC, Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6.

Cameras

50Mp fundamental sensor
8Mp ultrawide
2Mp macro
16Mp selfie

Very like different {hardware} on the telephone, the GT 2 hasn’t modified a complete lot in comparison with its predecessor within the pictures division. Three of the cameras are close to similar whereas the principle sensor has truly dropped from 64- to 50Mp however this Sony IMX766 sensor has advantages like bigger pixels and much more importantly optical picture stabilisation (OIS).

This Sony sensor is a well-liked alternative for a lot of telephone makers and it’s straightforward to see why. It presents respectable ranges of element, good low gentle efficiency and the OIS makes it a sensible choice for easy video recording, too (although 8K recording is saved for the GT 2 Professional if that bothers you).

Whereas level and shoot outcomes will impress most customers, if you happen to wish to analyse your pictures or get it blown up for prints then there’s just a little an excessive amount of noise in some areas like clouds. I’ve additionally discovered the GT 2 tends to oversaturate colors, notably purple and inexperienced. This partly comes down to non-public choice as though the photographs look good, I choose a extra pure look.

As per its predecessor, the ultrawide and macro cameras are restricted in what they will provide.

Beginning with the ultrawide, there’s the standard drop in high quality contemplating it’s solely 8Mp and the colors aren’t notably according to the principle digicam both, largely as a result of they’re extra pure the place the principle digicam tends to oversaturate.

Nonetheless, it’s useful to have at instances and is way extra helpful than the 2Mp macro digicam that appears to crop up on so many telephones as of late. It’s the identical previous story right here the place it’s tough to take good photographs as it’s essential to be a exact distance from the topic for it to be in focus.

The picture of the cork within the gallery took me far too many makes an attempt and I nearly gave up. Even while you do get it proper, there’s restricted element as a result of low decision of the sensor. The one actual optimistic right here is that Realme not hides the ‘Extremely Macro’ mode in a bizarre a part of the digicam app, however as regular you would possibly as properly use the principle digicam and cropping in.

The 16Mp stays the identical and that’s to say, it presents respectable high quality general and features a portrait mode. It’s about common for a mid-range telephone in 2022.

Battery Life & Charging

5000mAh
65W charging
Adapter included

This part is an actual spotlight for the GT 2 as for starters the massive 5000mAh battery means the telephone can final a very very long time. Being at a pc a lot of the day at house means I’m usually a lighter person, which means I might get three days of utilization, however even on the weekend once I’m not tied to a desk it nonetheless comfortably lasted two days.

Within the PCMark Work 3.Zero battery check we topic all telephones to, it lasted a formidable 11 hours and 46 minutes, outpacing most others.

That is all with the display screen set to 120Hz as properly so even heavy customers who drain the battery quicker with lengthy durations of gaming ought to discover it lasting longer than many rivals. And even when it does get low or die, the GT 2 may be charged in a short time certainly.

The included 65W SuperDart charger can get the telephone to an outstanding 44% after simply 15 minutes and 90% after 30 minutes. As you would possibly anticipate as a result of biopolymer again, there’s no wi-fi charging right here.

Software program & Apps

Android 12
Realme UI 3.0
Three years of OS updates

On the software program entrance, the Realme GT 2 comes with Android 12 and the newest Realme UI 3.Zero so it’s very a lot updated.

The newest model is sweet and clear on the entire with a appear and feel much like the Pixel 6. It additionally makes some good refinements comparable to tweaked icon design and there’s a Sensible Sidebar you should use to entry your favorite apps or options it doesn’t matter what you’re doing.

That’s not precisely one thing that hasn’t been performed earlier than although and the telephone comes with issues we’d relatively not see comparable to a raft of pre-installed apps and I’ve personally discovered the settings menu just a little tough to navigate.

The default wallpaper mimics the paper-like rear of the telephone which is a pleasant contact however Realme UI 3.Zero can do Android 12 issues like robotically match the color of UI components based mostly on the wallpaper you select.

I skilled just a few small bugs throughout my time with the telephone. These had been primarily overlay points the place, for instance, a WhatApp notification will get caught on the display screen whereas I’m in a unique chat thread.

It was common sufficient to be a severe subject and hopefully, Realme types this out quickly with an replace. Talking of which, you get a strong three years of OS updates with the GT 2 which ought to take you to Android 15.

Worth & Availability

You should purchase the Realme GT 2 from the official retailer now and the telephone prices £499 or £549 relying on which mannequin you select.

There are two SKUs of the telephone out there in order that beginning worth will get you 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, however paying the additional £50 will enhance you to a formidable 12/256GB.

As talked about earlier although, the cheaper mannequin just isn’t out there within the Paper White or Paper Inexperienced fashions within the UK so if you would like the fascinating biopolymer again, you’re compelled into the dearer possibility.

You should purchase the telephone from the official Realme retailer in addition to retailers comparable to Amazon

The worth means it’s not as low cost as the unique GT however remains to be cheaper than many large identify rival flagships such because the Google Pixel 6, Xiaomi 12 and Samsung Galaxy S22. The hole being smaller means it’s not a no brainer, although.

You may as well go quite a bit cheaper and nonetheless get a fantastic telephone with examples such because the OnePlus Nord 2, Poco X4 Professional 5G and Motorola Moto G200.

Try our charts of the finest mid-range telephones and finest smartphones to see what different choices you might have.

Verdict

The Realme GT 2 is one other strong telephone from the agency, however I really feel prefer it’s extra of a flagship filler than flagship killer – sitting between final 12 months’s GT and the brand new GT 2 Professional.

That’s to not say you should not purchase it, simply that it’s much less of a no brainer this time round. Not a complete lot has modified because the unique GT with a lot of the identical spec sheet and I personally choose the hanging vegan leather-based design relatively than this new biopolymer one.

With a better worth and the entry-level mannequin restricted to the Metal Black (non-biopolymer) colourway, it’s simply obtained extra of a job on its palms competing with numerous telephones at an analogous worth or typically a lot decrease.

A scarcity of waterproofing, wi-fi charging and people primary ultrawide and macro cameras are all disappointing. Nevertheless, if the weird biopolymer design does take your fancy, then you definitely’re getting a well-spec’d telephone with above-average battery life and speedy 65W charging.

Specs
Realme GT 2: Specs

Android 12 w/ Realme UI 3.0

6.62in Full HD+, 120Hz AMOLED show

Corning Gorilla Glass 5

Snapdragon 888 5G

Adreno 660 GPU

8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM

128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage

50Mp fundamental f/1.Eight Sony IMX766 sensor w/ OIS

8Mp ultrawide f/2.2 w/ 119° FoV

2Mp macro f/2.4

16Mp front-facing f/2.5 Sony IMX417 sensor w/ 78° FoV